Time Collapse (take 2)
by Sleepwalker48
Summary: New mission. New adversaries. The Portals are being controlled by an outside force, a force that may shatter the paradise the Brawlers have come to know as home. Major Ike/Samus, some Zelink, and OCs to come. Drama/Romance/Adventure. Chapters 11 is up.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N- This is NOT a continuation of my first 'Time Collapse'. Bleh. I didn't like way that was going. This story will be more intense, less fluff, and more drama, but I'll still work on that story just for the fun of it._

_XXX_

The whole mansion was on pins and needles.

The dark counterparts of Link and Zelda had argued against the guests that they should be able to have their own rooms, just like everyone else. The Super Smash Council decided to vote on it.

"After all, there are other evil villains who live here also," Mario reasoned with the sitting characters. "It's only fair that they have a place to stay, just like everyone else."

The group of five were all gathered at the Mushroom Council Chamber, created and named from Mario's favorite world from his favorite galaxy. They all sat around one giant, green mushroom that was spotted with white. Zelda spoke.

"Yes, but… you don't know them, Mario," The queen said. "Dark Zelda and Dark Link… they have a way of getting into your mind, and messing with your morals, making you do things that you otherwise wouldn't do."

"The perfect brother-sister team…" Fox murmured. "It's better than having them appear every place and turning everyone against each other. Maybe if we give 'em residence they'll settle down." He looked to Zelda. "How did you guys beat 'em, anyway?"

"We didn't," Zelda said tiredly. "They're still here."

"And I suppose the only way to have them leave us alone is to give them what they want," Mario said. "Peach? What do you think?"

"I think it's a fantastic idea!" she said with her usual bubbliness. "There's no point in being mean to them if we can't drive them off."

"And it's not right if we leave them to fend for themselves in the real world," Mario said, looking at Zelda for approval.

"You're right," Zelda said. "All in favor—"

"Wait a minute," Marth interrupted, getting a little angry. Everyone turned to him. "Maybe we should just kick them out to the real world. I mean, with all of the trouble and mischief they'll caused, and all the smaller Brawlers they've frightened—"

"Marth, no," Peach said, a scared look in her eyes. "No one wants to sentence anyone to that fate, not even the worst of our enemies."

"Peach is right." Zelda gave Marth a look. "Why would you think of something like that?"

"Because." Marth clutched the edge of the mushroom table in annoyance. "In my kingdom, I'm used to wiping out the threat before it obliterates the order all together. Look at us! Inviting the villains from our worlds like we run an orphanage. If we get this situation out of hand, the peace we've known away from our homes could be… overthrown." Marth was halted by the memory of his own fallen kingdom, and looked around the table at the other Brawlers.

"So what you are saying is that we should be careful," Mario said after an uncomfortably long silence.

"Yes," Marth said. "This should go on without supervision. They need to understand that under the Mansion roof, there are rules."

"Rules, indeed," Zelda said. "And so, with these rules they _will _come to understand the order we have established here. Or else they will be escorted out of the Mansion and sent out into the Real World." Peach shivered, but didn't say anything.

"They should have to prove their worth," Marth continued. "Something like… an initiation."

"And initiation?" Peach said, sounding horribly betrayed. "But- but none of us had to go through a test to be able to live here!"

"After all the trouble they've put the Mansion through, they don't deserve to be let in freely," Marth justified.

"I have to agree with Peach on this one," Mario said. Peach beamed at him. "If they agree to abide by our rules, they should be able to stay, no test needed. It's simply not fair."

"The law isn't fair," Marth said. "but they choose not to follow it in the beginning, they will find the rules against them."

"All in favor," Zelda began, "of producing a test for Dark Zelda and Dark Link to be able to join the Mansion?" Fox, Marth, and Zelda raised their hands.

"Sorry, Peach," Zelda said at the princesses downcast face. "Majority rules."

"So what'll it be?" Fox asked. "A test of strength, wits, ability to be good…?"

"A test on the ability to be 'good' wouldn't exactly be fair," Mario said. "After all, they were born evil."

"How about we create for them a new course?" Zelda suggested. "If they pass it—"

"—or get out of it alive," Marth muttered.

"—then they'll get to be a part of the mansion."

"After they agree to the Rules, of course," Fox said.

"Yes, of course," Zelda confirmed.

"A new course…" Mario said thoughtfully. "I think Luigi and I can handle that. It can be like one of the Training Rooms we already have saved in the Holodeck Memory—"

"Only much, much harder," Marth put in.

"What is with you, Marth?" Peach exclaimed. "It's like you don't want them to join us in the Mansion at all!"

"I don't. But if this is what it comes down to, then I'm determined to make the course as hard for them as possible," the prince said gravely.

The Council went quiet. All of them could agree, including Zelda, that Marth was the darkest one of them there.

"I'll tell you what," Mario told him, "I'll let you help out on designing it."

"Fine."

"Is this all?" Fox asked them.

"Yes," Mario said. "Meeting adjourned."

The five rose from their seats.

XXX

Ike and Samus were waiting for him outside of the Council Chamber.

"What did you decide?" Samus asked Marth, walking up to him from the waiting area.

"We're going to let them stay," Marth said. Around him, the rest of the Members filed out of the room. "We agreed to make them an initiation stage. If they pass it, they'll be able to stay at the Mansion."

"You're making them a stage? I thought you said you'd try and get them kicked out of the Mansion completely!" Samus fumed.

"I did," Marth said calmly, "but Peach and Mario didn't take to the idea. They didn't think it was fair for them."

"You let _them _stop you!?" Samus screeched, stepping forward with her fist raised.

"It's a council," Marth said, hands raised up. "Not a monarchy. They'll be tested on an Initiation stage, one that I'll have help making—"

"Why you little—" Marth ducked Samus' blow, and Ike swept up from behind her to grip her shoulders.

"Let me _go,_ Ike," Samus said, elbowing him behind her. "He didn't try hard enough—"

"No point in struggling, Sam," Ike murmured in her ear in the midst of all her kicking and struggling. "Marth said that he did all he could—"

"I'm going to help out on making the stage as hard as possible for them, so difficult they might not even complete it," the prince added, straightening out his clothes. "I'd never let them stay intentionally, only if it was beyond my power."

"It'll be okay," Ike murmured. He trapped her arms in a full body hold, pulling her into his chest. "We—Marth and I—won't let Dark Link touch you again, whether he is allowed in the mansion or not."

In the waiting room where no one stood but them three, Samus finally stopped struggling, turned around and let Ike hold her in his arms while she cried.

XXX

Four weeks later, after much arguing, cussing and councils, Marth, Luigi and Mario opened the new Initiation stage for the Dark Siblings to take. Everyone knew, that if they passed, they would be allowed into the Mansion, have to contend with the rules, and be able to sleep under the same roof. And under all honesty, no one wanted that to happen. Except, perhaps, Ganondorf.

On the day of their test, Samus walked to the Holodeck computer on the sixth floor. She activated it, scrolling through the course options with the up and down buttons before coming across the one that she wanted. The Initiation Stage. Selecting 'Enter' she viewed the preview on the screen, needing to see if Marth's claims were right.

It was all that he had said and more. Suspended platforms, some of them moving over spikes and crazy deep gaps that could kill. Random ladders and conveyor belts that went to nowhere, a dangerous factor if you didn't preview the course first. Samus hoped they be able to. A total of five acrobatic bars that, if the move wasn't executed correctly, could have the performer called out of the test. Samus was glad, despite everything, that the players were unable to die on a computerized stage.

Numbly she watched the moving platforms move side to side, not hearing the footsteps enter the hallway behind her. "Nobody knew where you had gone. I thought you'd be here, though."

She whipped around to find Ike leaning against the wall opposite of her, arms crossed in a blue windbreaker. His hair was sprawled in every possible direction on his head, making it messier than usual.

Samus sighed. "I thought you were someone else."

"I know. I can feel your anxiety." Ike stepped closer to her. "It's been gradually building up since that day, reaching its peak."

She turned back to the small screen, crossing her arms. "I just hope they don't make it."

Ike smirked. "Very ruthless of you, Sam."

"I don't mean to be. I mean, I know they can't die. But…" she trailed off, not wanting to proclaim her fears.

Suddenly Ike was directly behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and breathing softly in her hair. "You know I would have destroyed them if I had the chance, especially since—"

"I know you would've." There was a time where he almost did. But expulsion from the Mansion completely had held him back, brought him to his senses, and they hadn't spoken a word about it to any one else. "It doesn't help though."

"Would it help if I told you I will protect you no matter what happens?"

Samus closed her eyes. "Yeah. A little." And with that she turned her head slightly to his, and met his waiting lips.

XXX


	2. Chapter 2

The results were in. Even with all of their efforts, Dark Zelda and Dark Link made it past the seemingly impossible course to the dismay of many residents living in the Mansion.

Most of the smaller ones stayed within their rooms, scared of the possibility of running into either brother or sister. Luigi was brave enough, at least, to run the kitchen, and in the afternoon Mario announced that there would be a Movie Night in the Lounge, hoping to raise some of their spirits. As they exited out of their rooms, shouts of excitement from the little kids rose from the Mansion hallways in short bursts:

"I heard there's going to be a projector."

"A projector! Wow!"

"That's so professional!"

"What's a projector, Ike?" Toon Link asked at lunch. "Everyone is talking about…movies and porjectors and stuff, and don't understand what they are."

Ike gave Samus a surprised look, who winked at him to continue. "A movie is, um, like a show that's already happened, saved onto one of the computer disks, so we can… watch it." Toon Link gazed up at him curiously. "And a projector is the screen which you watch it on. You know, like the one we see our results on? Like that, only…." Ike struggled to find words. "Different."

"Um…" Toon Link wasn't sure what to make out of that. "Is it fun?"

"Loads of fun," Ike guaranteed.

"Okay!" Toony said excitedly. "Can I go with you?"

Ike forced a smile. "I would say yes, but… I'm already going with Samus." Toony's smile faded. "Don't you want to go with someone your age? Like Lucas, or Ness?"

"They don't really like me," Toony said dejectedly. "They always team up against me in Practice and make fun of my sword."

"But swords are cool!" Link said, striding in behind him and ruffling the cartoon's hair fondly.

"I know that, but they think I only use it 'cuz I'm weak." Toony frowned.

"Well, can't you go with Kirby or something like that?" Samus asked.

Toony's eyes lit up. "Yeah!"

"Just make sure he doesn't eat all of the popcorn," she told him.

"Or inhale any people," Link added.

"Okay!" Toony said with a wide grin, and with that trotted away to the lunch counter in the front of the cafeteria.

"Nice job," Samus told Ike. He shrugged, the corner of his mouth twitching upward. "Why couldn't you have just taken him?" Samus asked Older Link.

"Oh…" He cast a nervous hand to the back of his head. "I'm already going with Zelda."

Samus nodded. "Yeah. I worry about that kid sometimes, though. It doesn't seem like he has any human friends here."

"He misses Hyrule," Link said, sliding in the chair next to Samus. "I feel bad for the little guy. If only we were able to take a trip back there."

"But everyone knows _that's_ impossible," Samus said, picking at her macaroni and cheese.

"Yeah," Link said solemnly, as Ike eyed Samus' dish with a look that bordered between disgust and curiosity.

"What is that?" Ike asked.

"This? It's macaroni and cheese. I thought I told you this."

"Your futuristic dishes never cease to amaze me."

"It's hardly futuristic, Ike—"

"Great news, guys!" Falco joined their group, plopping into the chair next to a confused Ike. "We got the portal to work!"

"Really?" Samus said eyes lighting up.

"Yeah! But… there's just one thing," Falco said uncertainly.

"What?"

"It can only transport people back to Kingdom of Hyrule," he said, looking at Link. "So it's good news for you and Zelda, I suppose."

"What a coincidence," Samus muttered, stabbing at some more noodles in her Kraft bowl.

"Yeah…" Link said thoughtfully. "How did you get it to work?"

"We weren't even sure," Falco said. "This morning Fox and I just went in there and the screen showed us Hyrule, the portal open and ready to go, so we tested it out and went through. When we got back, we tried logging in the screen to show us something different, but it seemed it was jammed."

"So it just suddenly started working," Samus stated.

"Yeah. The Portal is a weird thing. Acts on its own, in a way. Irrational."

"Like women," Link put out.

"Exactly," Falco replied. Samus just rolled her eyes. "And you know how just a few months ago it was spewing out characters like us, left and right, every other day? I just hope it's not doing that again." Falco leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.

"Do you know if someone was let out of Hyrule coming through the portal?" Samus asked.

"I'm not sure. It's a possibility, but to make sure, we closed the thing just in case."

"Do you think it'll be safe to go through?" Link asked him.

"Sure. It seemed safe enough when Fox and I went through."

"Alright then." Link stood up, looking determined. "I'll go tell Zelda. She'll want to know the news, and she'll probably want to go back for the Yule celebration."

"Yule? What's that?" Samus asked.

"Mid-winter celebration," Link murmured, looking distracted. "You guys can come, if you want. Toony will probably want to come too…" And with that he left the table, leaving the room.

"I'm good. The only place I want to be is right here, where I can work on the Portals so I can get back to my home." Falco rose from the table and left.

"You want to go visit Hyrule?" Samus asked Ike.

"Sure."

"It sounds interesting," Samus said, getting up from the table to throw her food away, Ike following. "Visiting a place built in the past…" Striding out of the room, she asked Ike inanely, "I wonder what movie we'll be watching. I hope it's good."

Ike shrugged. "I hardly know what movies are, and you're asking for my opinion?"

Samus rolled her eyes. "Never mind."

XXX

Peach had almost put on Twilight, but Samus tackled her to the ground before she could put the disk in the DVD player.

"What was so bad about that movie?" Zelda asked Samus.

"Trust me," Samus said, slightly panting. She got up from the floor, letting Peach go from her chokehold. Peach got up from the ground, fixing her hair and giving Samus a dirty look. "You don't want to know."

She looked around. There were a good variety of Brawlers there at the Lounge; Kirby and Toony had shown up, along with Meta Knight, Lucas, Ness and Diddy Kong, all nesting on the floor with multicolored blankets. The rest of them that showed up were a part of the older crowd; including her, Ike, Zelda, Link, Peach, Mario, Captain Falcon (she had no idea _why _he insisted on showing up) and Marth, sitting on the floor in the background and looking bored as usual. There wasn't that many movies to choose from, unfortunately, most of them were older; and she knew if she didn't pick a movie that everyone agreed with, then the order and fun of Movie Night would collapse.

She looked through the drawers. There were the kiddie movies; The Little Mermaid, James and the Giant Peach. The romance collection (Property of Peach); Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Say Anything, Made of Honor. Pausing, Samus fingered Made of Honor. It wasn't a bad movie, but it wasn't very kid friendly. She looked through her other options. A comedy? A fantasy?... no, she'd had enough Lord of the Rings movies to last a lifetime, thanks to Fox and Falco. An adventure?

The smell of popcorn wafted through the room, and with a _crash _something fell to the floor. "Sorry!" Captain Falcon called.

Samus didn't even bother to look around and find out what he broke; too involved with the task at hand to… ahh, that was it! The perfect movie; Action, adventure, swordfights, pirates, giants, true love—

"Did you find a movie yet?" Toony said next to her, about her height now that she was on her knees.

"Yup," she said, brandishing the cover of The Princess Bride to the movie audience. It had a couple of curse words in it, she'd admit, but it was only the best movie in the world and good for any viewer. _"_The Princess Bride. Guys, you are in for the best movie experience of your entire lives."

Putting the disk in the player, she walked over to where Ike was sitting on the loveseat and plopped down next to him.

"What's this about?" Ike asked her, bringing his arms around her waist.

Samus laid her head on his shoulder and smiled. "You'll see. It's pretty much the best movie ever made. It has a little something for everybody."

"Even romance?" Peach asked.

"Even romance," Samus assured.

"Even comedy?" Captain Falcon asked.

"_Yes_, even comedy," Samus told him.

"Will I like it?" Ike asked her.

"Well, it's nothing like The Bourne Identity or Beowulf, but I think you'll enjoy it."

"How can you be so sure?" Ike asked, smiling slightly.

Samus smirked. "Because I know you, big fella." She reached for the DVD remote on the coffee table and pressed play, tucking her legs inside of her as she snuggled closer to Ike. "Now shut up and enjoy the movie."

XXX

_A/N- Oh man, I haven't had Kraft Mac 'n Cheese in SO LONG. Like, I can't even remember the last time I had some. Oh well… not getting some anytime soon… (picks at salad). Sigh… oh yes, and I really don't have a problem with any of the movies listed above. Not even Twilight, though its not the _best_ of the series. I really do like Made of Honor. But I honestly do think that The Princess Bride is the best movie that has ever been made. So go home, right now, and watch it. Or buy it and watch it. It's just one of those movies, trust me._


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N- Introducing, Dark Link. This was actually supposed to be connected to the last chapter, but I forgot to save it, and so this last bit will be relatively short compared to my other chapters :)_

XXX

Halfway through the movie, right at the part where Wesley met The Albino, Samus decided she couldn't hold her bladder anymore and got up to use the bathroom. There was just too much slushie in her, so she told Ike she'd be right back.

Refreshed, she was walking down the hallway, trying to figure out which door led to where she wanted to go, she was musing on how funny Prince Humperdinck's name was, she suddenly heard a voice from her left.

"What, I wasn't invited? I hear tons of laughter coming from the lounge like there's a party or something, and I feel left out."

Clenching her fists, stiffly she turned to the door way. There, hidden in the shadows in the dim light of the library, was Dark Link, leaning against the opening with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face.

"What do you want, Dark Link?" Samus grit out, but inside she was as scared as she had been facing Ridley.

"Oh. You thought you wouldn't see me, did you?" He said, reading her thoughts exactly. She cursed inwardly. Ditching the black tunic he usually wore and adopting the everyday wear everyone else in the Mansion wore, he wore now a pair of tan leather combat boots over a pair of faded black jeans. As he stepped to her, he still had his arms crossed against a plain black long sleeved shirt. "You hoped, but I found you in the end." He grinned malevolently.

"What do you want?" Samus said, then regretting she had said immediately afterwards.

"Me?" He looked at her with fake surprise. "Well, you already know the answer to that, don't you?"

"Step away," she said when he had close the space between them to about a foot. "I'll call Ike—"

"Ooooh, now I'm scared," Link said, wiggling his fingers in the air. "Can't you defend yourself, Ms. Aran?"

Of course she could, but at the moment her ray gun was not hook to her belt, and she wished she hadn't let her guard down for even a second. A week after the Dark Siblings were announced into the mansion, she thought he wouldn't bother her any longer. Apparently, she was wrong.

Months ago, when the lazy summer days were ending and the events of the day were a hazy blurb, she had walked into one of Dark Link's most irrevocable pranks yet, a result of his dangerous boredom and need for entertainment. He had lured her into his arms late at night, using a Dark Spell that bent the victim to the caster's ulterior will. Without voice or reason, Dark Link kissed and left caresses long her skin in the grassy fields out back, against her will almost until it was too late.

"Nice night out, isn't it?" Dark Link said almost randomly, but Samus knew what he was talking about. That late summer night Marth had stepped out for a moment to clear his head, accidently coming upon the two cornered bodies in the moonlight. He attacked without a second thought, knowing of Dark Link's many schemes already. Right when he stopped kissing her, the spell was uplifted from Samus, her head cleared and a gross fury in her heart. Samus and Marth left the Dark Twin outside of the mansion, unconscious and bleeding, there for his sister to find sometime in the night. Samus owed the prince about everything that night, especially after she had made him swear not to tell another soul. He hadn't, and so far the only person who knew about that night was Ike, who wished he had been there in the prince's place.

As Samus watched Link's movements around her, she relived that same memory in her mind, letting that fury flame again in her heart.

"It's too bad the prince had to step in. We were having so much fun, weren't we?"

She supposed it had to be done the messy way.

Samus went at him with an upper cut, punching him in the face with such force she could feel the crunch of his nose in her tightened fist.

Dark Link gaped at her once she pulled back, eyes wide as he held his dripping nose that left splotches of blood on the carpet.

"Don't—you—_ever—_talk about that night again, or come near me, you hear? Or else one day you're gonna wish you were dead."

She turned and stormed off, but not before she heard him say with venom, "You're going to regret that, Samus. Because one day you and your boyfriend is going to wish they joined me and the One Who is Rising…"

XXX

She walked into the lounge, the movie now at the part when Wesley, Inigo, and Fezzik were storming the castle. Without words she settled back into the armchair with Ike.

"You were gone a long time," he half-whispered, eyes glued to the screen. "What took so long?"

She debated on whether or not to tell him what happened in the hallway. "Nothing," she said. "Just got a snack, that's all."

"Without getting me some?" Ike said with a slight smile, but when Samus didn't say anything he looked to her. "You okay?"

"Yeah," she said. She didn't say anything more. The situation was cleared and taken care of, she hoped, and she didn't need Ike running around raging with every other person he saw once she told him.

Samus was glad they were almost at the scene with the Six-Fingered Man. She needed a little blood.

XXX


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N- I just finished watching The Dark Knight Rises for the second time and fell in love with Bane. So if anything seems familiar between him and Ike, you know where I got a lot of ideas from._

_A glimpse into Samus and Ike's not so perfect relationship. The idea of Ike and Pit has been in my head for some time, actually; his rage issues are not completely taken from the movie. _

"You're a bit of a rage monster, you know that?"

Ike turned a confused gaze to Samus leaning on the wall next to him. "And why do you say that?"

"I mean, you have your peaceful moments," Samus continued as if Ike had never spoken, "and most of the time I suppose you can be relatively friendly. But deep inside there's this mad monster, waiting for someone to cross the line, just to awaken and be let out."

Ike decided to go with it. "And have you ever seen this beast show its face to the outside world?"

"A few times, actually. You may not even know it, but you let the rage take hold quite often. There's been actually a few incidences that I've refrained from letting you in on, because I know that you'd lose control if I did."

"Is there something you're not telling me?"

"Hey Samus! What's up, Ike!" Captain Falcon strode around the corner and turned his oblivious grin towards them. "What brings you here?"

"Practice," Ike replied.

"On a sunny morning like this?"

"Yes," Ike said, a slightly pissed look on his face. Samus thought she should intervene.

"Hey Falcon, could you leave us be?" she asked. "We were kind of talking."

"Were you having, like, one of those _serious_ conversations?"

"Falcon. Leave," Ike demanded.

Feeling Ike's gaze on his back all the while, Falcon made his way out of there. Samus knew she could've handled that better. But, above everything, she knew she had just saved Falcon's butt.

Ike turned his serious gaze back to her. "Now. Is there something you're not telling me?"

"There's nothing , Ike," Samus answered, not wanting to tell him about last night. "But I feel like you get angry at the smallest things."

"If you are talking about what Dark Link did to you over the summer—"

"I'm not talking about any of the times when you let go in order to protect me.. I'm talking about when you rage at people's small mistakes, leaving people around you feeling, well, scared."

Ike was silent. Samus knew that his quiet was not a remorseful one, or even a regretful one, but she still had to give it a shot. "You never scare me," Samus reassured him. "Not even when you have your rage moments. But you know that eventually your actions are going to affect the people around you, no matter how much you hate someone. Because, eventually, you're going to push away the people who you do want to stick around, and not just those people that you hate."

She gave him another moment, letting him roll her words over in her mind. She hoped, for her sake, that Ike would try to control his temper, not just around her, but around everybody.

And then, she heard voices coming from down the stairs. Samus cursed. "Speak of the devil…."

Or rather, the angel.

"…. And I was going so fast! You should've seen him, falling down all over the place. Oh, and the times I caught him by surprise. Man, the look on his face was priceless!" The voice was closer now, just around the corner. "After the match, he was so mad! He just didn't expect to be beat by the likes of me, I bet, since I look so—"

The two rounded the corner, but Samus had already known who it would be before she saw him.

"—young." Pit's face changed from one of complete surprise to absolute horror in about half a second when he saw the already disgruntled Ike.

Then suddenly, Pit gave a weak smile, surprising Samus immensely. "Well, at least I'm not the only one who had thoughts of Brawling this morning."

"And what about me?" Meta Knight rumbled beside him.

"Oh Meta, you're always Brawling." Pit's glaring, bright eyed boldness didn't waver, even under Ike's intimidating gaze. "Can we, uh, practice with you guys?" he asked, showing his hopefulness to make amends by the slight ruffle of his wings.

Samus had to give him props for trying. Turning to her boyfriend, she dared to hope that Ike was willing to forgive him and forget about what happened.

But as soon as she saw the unfamiliar look Ike gave the angel next, she knew that it wasn't time for Pit to ask forgiveness,

Ike, looking devilishly at the unfortunate angel, stepped forward casually while Pit shrank visibly backwards. "I don't know," Ike said, inspecting him like a hungry cat would inspect a mouse, "Can you?"

Samus didn't think Pit would say anything more after that, but, surprising her once again, he did. Pit straightened his back defiantly. "Of course," he said, his face set with determination against all logic and reason.

"Well, in that case, you've sealed your fate, little angel." His next words were simple and threatening. "You'll get no sympathy from me."

Pit was doomed.

XXX

Samus knew, from the months they had spent together, that Ike had about three levels to his rage. Sometimes he would get slightly pissed off at something someone did to him, a minor fault that resulted in his brooding silence for hours at time until he went and took it out in Brawl on the CPU's or any other player that was willing to contend with his anger.

That was Level One.

Then there was times where he gets hit by sudden, distressingly gloomy thoughts, thoughts he wouldn't tell anyone, not even Samus. Ike often forced them to take the form of CPU's that were slashed at for hours at a time at the Training Course.

That was Level Two.

Level Three was the stage that rarely occurred, the level that was a direct assault to his pride. Pit had insulted Ike, humiliating him simply by defeating him in Brawl one November afternoon and again before the match by boasting about it. This defeat had caused a dark, moody cloud to hover over his life, a darkness that showed in his eyes for weeks after the incident. Later, the anger had subsided, not because he had forgiven Pit but because Samus had told him to lighten up. So he had pushed it aside, left his anger alone. But pride was an important thing to men like Ike, a treasure that was treasured and never departed from him. So when he saw Pit round the corner, his carefree smile on his face, it was his pride that caused him to ignore Samus' advice and uphold his place as the best Brawler in the mansion. It was his pride that made him forget how to forgive, and latching onto the day the angel who had defeated him on the SSBB Battlefield, the only one who had managed to beat the unbeatable in a span of five minutes.

And now was the time for Pit's unintentional attack to be requited.

The four of them entered the stage, and instantly Pit flew past them to get a higher position off the ground. Ike rushed towards him, his mind bent and driven. It pained her to see her boyfriend this way, morphed into something else entirely that she had never seen before. Because now he was on Level Three, rage from wounded pride. And though she had never seen it before, she knew that in this state of mind Ike was the most dangerous of all, maybe even worse than his fierce protecting side that made her fall for him in the first place.

And _that _thought scared her.

She knew she could've done more to keep Ike from completely pulverizing Pit. She knew that his rage towards the angel made him no match against the mercenary. But the thought of standing up against Ike was like the idea of going against the world; a biting, scratching, horrible thought that she was more inclined to push away at the moment.

She knew that no one was perfect. Everyone had a secret quality about them that could make people grimace. But reflecting on that day, weeks later, Samus knew she still should've done something, said anything, to prevent Ike from carrying out his wrath.

But she hadn't. She fought Meta Knight, content in ignorance, even though he kept on casting her concerned glances. Even though every time she looked back at the other's fight, she flinched, her sympathy for the angel, and not the mercenary.

Because the safety was on, Ike didn't damage a bone in Pit's body. But when the bell rang and the players shuffled out of the stage door, Samus could see, by the way she tried to catch a glimpse of a now dull eyed Pit, that Ike had succeeded in breaking the angel's spirit, absolutely and irrevocably.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N- A little scene of Ike and Zelda's love/hate relationship._

_XXX_

Neither of them were very good with words.

Samus didn't know how to confront him about his brutal nature, and Ike wouldn't stand down because of his pride.

He knew, at least, something was up between them. Something he had done that had severed their relationship. He wasn't sure of what, but had some clue that it started about three days ago, when Samus' estrangement first began. He was clueless that it had began with The Fight (that's what everyone in the Mansion were calling it now—'_The_ Fight'). In his head, everybody thought Pit as an annoying little pest that wouldn't go away; and anyone who didn't like it he probably couldn't care less about anyway. Not once did it cross his mind that The Fight had affected the one person in this Mansion that he really cared what they thought of him; and that person was Samus.

But in Samus' head, this was a frontal assault on her, not on Pit. Not that she was trying to be myopic; the Fight just suddenly became all the more personal to her. The man who she thought would always stay by her side she had pushed away, not because of something she had done, but because of him.

But the bounty hunter couldn't hide forever.

Soon enough, Ike had resorted to camping outside of Samus' door for the night, so she wouldn't keep avoiding him like she had other things to do in the morning. What he forgot, though, is how everyone in the Mansion had a roommate, and Zelda was the first one to trip over his legs that morning.

Ike woke up, startled. Seeing who it was, he lay just lay back down and said, "For royalty, you're pretty clumsy."

Zelda fixed him with a sour look, a look Ike didn't even see because his eyes were closed again. "For a mercenary, you're pretty unobservant." No reply. "What are you doing out here, anyway?"

"Waiting for Samus. Geez, and people say you're the reincarnate of the goddess of wisdom."

"For one who has a girlfriend, you sure have a tremendous lack in manners."

"For one who calls herself a queen, you sure can be prissy."

Zelda got red in the face and balled her fists. "Peasant."

Ike opened up one lazy eye. "It's _mercenary, _Princess."

"I'm a queen!"

"Whatever you say… Princess."

"Ike-!"

"Hey, will you keep it down, ya lovebirds?!" called someone from the stateroom across from them. "Not everyone is up at seven in the morning!"

Zelda blushed. "Sorry," she apologized.

Ike, both eyes open now, now sat up to stretch his arms. "I don't know," he said to himself. "She just might keep ignoring me… better if I head off to the Gym and get something done…"

"Here to apologize?" Zelda asked him as if she hadn't been mad a few moments earlier.

"Apologize for what?"

Zelda deadpanned. "Oh, you have _got _to be kidding me." What he didn't answer, she said, "Ike, Samus is avoiding you because of The Fight. She's kind of scared of you."

"Scared of me? Why?" Ike's attention had been given to her in full.

"Because of what you did to Pit."

"She's scared because of that?"

Zelda regarded him carefully. "Ike, you don't know what you'r e like when you rage, do you?"

"Umm…"

"Come one, you big lug," Zelda said, and puled Ike down the stairs as she stomped to the Breakfast Room.

XXX

The Breakfast Room of the Mansion was more or less like the Continental Room of a modern hotel, but the Brawlers didn't know that. In a sense, they had no idea what was defined as normal, but they enjoyed their time there none the less. Their time at the Mansion gave them a chance to build themselves and relax, so most of the rooms of the rooms there, like the Breakfast Room, was filled with comfy couches and armchairs and wide-screen TVs.

Kirby and Pikachu sat at a couch now, the blinding sunlight coming from the drawn window giving the whole room a wide awake feeling. Snake sat at the bar table (the Breakfast Room also doubled as the Bar for older Brawlers at night) while Luigi flipped something one the griddle that made Ike's stomach rumble.

"Well, that's convenient," Zelda said, "Pikachu and Kirby are already watching recorded matches."

"We're going to watch old matches of me?" Ike asked.

"Old match with you when you rage," Zelda corrected, finally able to wrestle the remote away from Kirby. "And I can think of a good one right now."

Zelda flipped through channels. Mario refused to pay for cable, despite Fox and Falco's harrassings, so all the channels played were old matches. Apparently, around every stage there were cameras that caught every single kick, slash, or prat fall you made in the match. It served as quite the form of entertainment to everyone there.

Zelda flipped through the channels. "Let's see; Fox and Wolf; Fox, Captain Falcon and Samus; Fox, Falco, and Meta Knight…Your plays are usually in the 500's… Ah, here we go." Zelda stopped on a recording, and on the screen, Ike stepped onto the course with a very calm looking Zelda.

Ike remembered this match on the Temple. Zelda had said something to him that made him angry….but what?... There were so many times where he'd challenged her to a duel for all her mouth, and each time she'd calmly accept.

This match, though, wasn't a match like all the others. The Ike on the screen charged at Zelda at an unrecognizable speed, a speed that Ike was not usually known for. Zelda dodged and countered his attacks easily enough, but something in her usually complacent face had changed. She was defecting with a new face of urgency and with what also looked like fear.

_Fear of what? _Ike wondered, and turned his gaze to himself once again.

His face had contorted to a mask of unrecognizable ferocity. His eyebrows were furrowed, his mouth arched in an unappealing grimace. His fiery eyes were alit with some kind of mad fury…

Ike stepped back in shock.

"Don't worry, I was terrified the first time too, Zelda said when she saw his reaction. "Just think of what Samus thinks—"

"Turn it off," Ike demanded.

"Ike—"

"I said, turn it!" Ike said, and he reached for the remote in her hand. She held it away and looked at him with a ticked expression. Ike recoiled.

"It's small things like this that set you off," Zelda told him, handing the remote back to Pikachu and Kirby. "You need to learn how to control yourself."

"I'm sorry I snapped," he told her. It was a rare scene. Ike didn't just apologize to anyone. Suddenly his eyes flew open. "If I was like that with Samus—"  
"Yeah, she doesn't really knew what to think of you."

"I wouldn't be surprised if she hated me."

"She doesn't hate you," Zelda consoled, putting a hand on his wildly muscled shoulder. Zelda didn't think it was possible that shoulders could have so much muscle on them, but as Ike's shoulder told her, they did. "She's just confused on how to confront you about it. Seeing whether or not you're still mad."

"Of course I'm not still mad."

"Then tell her that." Zelda smiled. The two of them lashed out at each other with words like whips most of the time, but Zelda couldn't stand to see the mercenary sad. Seeing him sad was like seeing a big bulldog sad, with its big, dark eyes, and she couldn't stand to see him like that.

Ike smiled back, his eyes set with new resolve. "I need to go and apologize."

"Hold it right there, buddy," Zelda said when he started walking away. Ike turned back to her, confused. "Samus is dead asleep. She doesn't wake up until after noon."

"Aww, come on…"

XXX


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Wow! I'm really liking the way this story is turning out. I'm incorporating my Time Collapse story into this one; sooner or later I'm going to delete it, maybe. Still on edge about it. Anyway, I found out that Yule has already past, and that it's not mid-winter. _

_I kind of imagine the cafeteria of the Mansion to be like the food court of Ikea in some ways ;) ._

_Let me know if I'm making Samus to be too OC in any way. _

_XXX_

Samus strode up to the room that Link shared with his cartoon counterpart.

"Link! Are you in there?" she called, knocking on the door.

"It's open!" he called, and Samus twisted the handle to let herself in.

Inside, the bedroom was a complete disaster. Clothes, weapons and sheets were strewn on the floor, and in the center of the room lay a satchel, Link's shield and a few socks that had lost their other pair. In between the two twin sized beds, the closet that the two roommates shared was wide open, but Link was nowhere to be seen.

"Um…" Samus said. She looked to the left, towards the kitchenette and the bathroom. Link was nowhere to be found. "Link?"

"Here!" he called from somewhere among the bed area, and from under the bed crawled Link on his hands and knees. He seemed disgruntled about something, not noticing the tornado attack that was his room.

Samus didn't try to bring up the room. "What's up? Did you lose something?"

"Huh?" Link rose from the floor and looked at her for the first time she entered his room. Link, Samus contemplated, could be a little scatter brained sometimes; forgetting to look at what was in front of him until up until it called for his attention. That's why Samus thought he and Zelda were such a good match. Zelda knew how to keep him on his toes about the things that he lost sight of. "I—kind of. Its nothing I can't find. But it's here somewhere, I know it." The last part he kind of murmured to himself, eyes looking all around the room at everything but Samus. "What do you need?" Link asked her, crossing over to the bathroom now.

"I just wanted to ask about our trip." Link turned to her in confusion. "Our trip to Hyrule. For Yule?"

"Oh, yeah, yeah," Link said, motioning for her to continue.

"Anyway," Samus said, losing patience, "Captain Falcon was wondering if he could join us too."

"Falcon?" Link said, who was now on the floor of the bathroom searching the cabinets.

"Yeah," Samus said, settling herself down on the bed that was the least messy. "And Marth too."

"How many people did you tell about this trip?" Link asked her.

"No one! Well, not on purpose," Samus began. "You see, it might've slipped when I was talking with Ike that we would be going with you and Zelda. Falcon found out, and then Marth caught word of it when he was fighting Toon Link and Kirby."

"Oh," Link said, making a face. "I'd hoped we could keep it small…"

"It's only six people," Samus reasoned. "Plus Toony. It's just… these people haven't been off the Mansion Grounds ever since they were stranded here over six months ago. And I know how they feel." At Link's silence, Samus went on, "Look. I know that you and Marth haven't been the best of friends ever since you found out that he was crushing on Zelda. But, I mean, it's a big castle," she pointed out with a smile, "right? So you can do your thing with Zelda in one part of the castle, and he can kick it in another. You guys won't even have to talk to each other, or even really see each other, until the Yule Feast. As for Captain Falcon—well, I'll just keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn't mess anything up."

"Fine, you've got me," Link said. He went deeper into the bathroom to check the shower for something. "Just as long as Pit doesn't hear anything about it, okay? I just… don't want to be his baby sitter for anything."

"Mum's the word," Samus vowed. She stepped closer to the bathroom until Link pushed past her, making her stumble.

"Sorry," Link apologized, helping her steady.

"What are you looking for?" Samus asked him.

"It's—I…" Link hesitated, and gave Samus a worried look. "Um. Can you keep a secret?"

"Okay," Samus said, little wary.

Link sighed. "I'm going to propose to Zel." Samus' eyes went big, and Link continued, "But I lost the ring I was going to give to her."

"Wow, Link."

"I know, I know! I had it in my satchel, stored the closet, over all of the clothes the last time I checked." Link's eyes darted to the closet, as if asking himself if he should check there again. "And now it's not there. I checked the spot, every day, just to make sure it wasn't taken. And now…" Link's face was that of complete despair.

"Oh, Link…" Samus was never really one for comforting. She placed an awkward hand at his shoulder. "I'll keep an eye out for it, then."

"Thanks. Just… don't tell anyone about it, okay? I trust you, because I know you won't let it slip to Peach or Zelda or Fox, because you hardly talk to them."

"Don't worry," Samus said. "Just…. When were you planning on proposing to her?"

"I don't know," Link said, and Samus gave him a look. "I thought… maybe… when we would be able to stay at Hyrule. For good, without any Portal screw-ups or anything like that. Perhaps I could ask her at the courtyard, where we first met…" Link trailed off, and Samus saw longing reflected in his blue eyes. It was probably the cutest face she had seen him make. No wonder he had been so anxious to get back to his homeland. He suddenly snapped back to her. "But we won't stay there permanently, not when the portal hasn't been fixed yet. It wouldn't be fair if we went to back to our home lands and everyone else wasn't able to."

Samus smiled at him. She could see, at this statement, the selfless hero inside of him.

"Everything'll work out, alright?" Samus assured him. The two walked out of the messy bedroom, and Samus shut the door behind them. "It'll turn up eventually."

XXX

Setting herself down at the lunch tables now, Samus popped open her Pepsi, thinking about Link's predicament that she had just learned about that morning. She doubted that Ganondorf had anything to do with it, but Dark Link was a definite prospect. Still, who would have been able to get into his room without a key card?

Taking a bite of her pizza, her eyes wandered to the two tables, literally, in the darkest corners of the cafeteria. Over at one sat Bowser, Wario, King Dedede and Ganondorf, while at another sat Wolf, Dark Zelda, and Dark Link. They didn't seem like they were actually planning something though. In fact, Ganondorf looked uninterested in anything the penguin or the koopa were saying. All of them just seemed to be murmuring darkly and depressedly, except for Dark Link and Dark Zelda, who hadn't said a word and hadn't eaten anything since arriving at the table.

Could Dark Link or Dark Zelda have stolen Link's engagement ring?

Still not completely awake, Samus was oblivious to Captain Falcon's entrance with his own food. Finding a seat to Samus' left, he didn't make his presence known until he looked in the direction that Samus was staring and said, "I like to call that corner 'The League of Evil and Mischief'."

Samus turned to him, startled. "Oh! Falcon. It's just you."

"What? Did I disappoint you?"

Samus rolled her eyes.

"Ike was looking for you this morning," Falcon said conversationally, giving his noodles on his plate a twirl. Samus gave no reply. "Zelda said he was waiting for you outside your room this morning, and when he found out that you wouldn't be up until the afternoon, he went down to the gym. I guess he wanted to talk to you."

"Is that so?" Samus said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Yeah," Falcon went on, taking her answer like some kind of offer to go on, "So are you going to find him? When you're done eating? I mean, you've been avoiding him for the past two days, ever since The Fight. I mean, I still don't know why you guys had a falling out in the first place. Did you have a fight after the original Fight? Is 'The Fight' symbolizing two –"

"Falcon?"

"Huh?"

"You can drop it now." Because she didn't even have an answer herself.

For a moment, Falcon was quiet and picked at his food. "Anyway," Falcon said, wasting no time before he could make her mood even worse. "Did you ask Link about the trip yet?"

"Yes, I did." Samus took another bite of her pizza. "He said yes."

"He said yes? Link said yes? Oh man, oh man, oh man; this is going to be so awesome!"

"Yeah, it really is," Samus said without enthusiasm. She didn't really know how awesome this trip was going to be if she and Ike weren't really on speaking terms…

"Who else is going?" Falcon asked, his child-like eagerness continuing to amaze her.

"Link and Zelda, you and Marth, and me and Ike."

"And when are we leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning, so you'd better start packing."

"Yeah, yeah; okay."

"Oh wow." Falcon was still reeling from his excitement. "What's it like there?"

Samus sighed. "I don't know, Falcon; something like the fourteenth century past, probably. Ask Link."

"Will there be horses there?"

"I'm guessing from Falcon's constant questions about the trip that Link allowed us to go with you guys," Marth said, sitting down at the table with a tray of food.

Samus looked up at his arrival. "Yeah. He said you could join."

"Good."

"But I said if you came, you would keep away from Zelda." At Marth's offended look, she said, "You know Link doesn't like when you try to move in on her."

"It's not like she's interested at all," Marth said, stabbing a fork into a Swedish meatball and swirling it in gravy. "Those two are so completely in love with each other they don't see anyone else."

"Hello?" Captain Falcon spoke up, slightly annoyed. "Are you guys just going to ignore me?"

"Yes," Samus and Marth said at the same time, and Samus smiled despite her mood. Sometimes her kindness towards Captain Falcon was only habitual, them both being from the future.

Falcon took a moody bite of his spaghetti.

"Just don't mess up this chance, alright?" Samus pleaded with the prince. "Link trusts me, and I don't want him to regret his decision."

"Oh, so he trusts you now," Marth said, his tonality dry. "Wonder where that came from."

"Shut up, Marth," Samus said. She couldn't believe his jealousy was getting in the way. "You and Link could be really good friends; you just have to push away your pride—"

"So, are you and Ike getting along?" Marth asked her. "It's going to be _extremely _awkward if we go to Hyrule and you guys still haven't made up."

"It's more than what you think," Samus replied tersely. "I just felt like we needed some time apart."

"So _you _were the one who broke up with him?" Falcon piped up. "That explains a lot."

"It's nothing," Samus said, glaring.

"Is it now?" Marth eyed her. "You see how that worked out? I don't talk about your personal life; you don't talk about mine. Especially with other people."

"Is that a threat?"

"Whoa! Would you look at the time!" Captain Falcon exclaimed, glancing at a non-existent watch at his wrist. "I've—got to go…" And with that, he got up with his tray to another table.

"Just don't pry, Samus," Marth said. "There's things in my life that you wouldn't understand."

"How about a little 'thank you', huh? I _did _just let you escape the Mansion for a few days."

The words in Marth's throat died, and he sat back, looking at Samus across the table. "Thank you," he said finally.

"You're welcome," Samus said, rising to throw the rest of her food away. She had lost her appetite.

XXX

_A/N- Don't worry! I haven't forgotten about Pit yet. He's going to get his own chapter soon enough._


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N- Umm, yeah. Like the description said, this is a drama. So bear with me, because sometimes I don't know how to write anything else._

_XXX_

With troubling thoughts as these, she went to expel them in the best way she knew how; going to the gym.

Stopping by the cafeteria to steal a couple of energy bars in her pocket for after the workout, Samus made her way the top of the stairs again. Down another flight she descended, the light above her flickering ominously and the air getting notoriously colder. Finally stepping off to basement level, Samus wondered, not for the first time, why the gym hadn't been placed in the upper levels of the Mansion like all the other training programs were. Briskly she made her way down the hallway, where she knew, just around the corner and a little more farther down, she would find Olimar working the reception desk—

"I hear you and Ike had a little 'falling out' a couple of days ago." Samus cursed and turned around. Coming from the spacious containment area adjacent to the hallway, Dark Link slunk out of the shadows, walking towards her nonchalantly. A lolling smile was placed characteristically on his face. "Though the reason was never made clear to me _why._"

Samus didn't bother asking why he'd been hanging in the shadows down here by himself; he was, after all, Dark Link. "My business is my business," Samus stated. "The details of the fight are not important."

"But I heard someone else was there," Dark Link inquired innocently. "And that you being mad at Ike had something to do with him, the boy angel. What's his name? Pit?"

"I was never angry at him." The words escaped her mouth before she could do anything about it.

"Oh! Then what's the reason you've been avoiding him all this time?" Samus stayed silent, wishing she could just walk away form him and forget everything that Dark Link was bringing up. But no. He was an annoying little pest that had already planted himself in the back of her mind; now his bite was coming back for a vengeance.

"Why would you want to know anyway?" Samus said finally.

Dark Link's red eyes glittered with amusement. "Just seeing if my favorite little admirer is truly open now."

Samus made a move towards him, eyes flashing with anger. "I could drop you right where you stand—"

"And break the mansion's rules? I don't think I'd go as far as that, Sam." Samus winced at the sound of Ike's nickname for her. "Do you still love him?" Dark Link asked, almost pouncing at her reaction. "It's a pity that you still have ties to him. But then, what's holding you back?" Samus gave no reply. "Is it you fear of him?" Dark Link asked, advancing towards her. "Are you afraid what might happen to you if suddenly he turned his rage on you? If he suddenly directed his temper on something you did? Or is it just your own selfishness?" He spoke quieter now, a loud whisper in the dark of her mind. "Worried now that he'll give in to his destructive tendencies completely, and changing you right alongside him?" He was less than a foot away from her now, having crawled right through her defenses. She didn't meet his eyes but he looked at her; an unwanted presence lurking behind her. Samus was trapped in the voice of her own fears, and she couldn't see a way out of it.

"Give in, Samus," Dark Link said now, his breath drifting into her ear and brushing the side of her neck. "Why try so hard now? There's no point in trying to resist what's deep inside you; it's who you are.

"A killer. No point in trying to suppress it."

"Step away."

The voice at the end of the room caused Samus to jump mentally. Instantly she spun around and slammed Dark Link into the wall with her arm at his throat, his eyes bulging and his speech impeded.

She turned to see who had spoken, but she already knew who it was. Ike stepped from the brighter part of the hallway, coming from the gym. He looked at Dark Link dangerously, knowing he wouldn't dare tyr anything now. Inwardly Samus smiled. If she hadn't kept such a tight leash on him, Dark Link would most likely be dead or severely injured, and Ike would be expelled from the mansion by now.

"Go," Ike said to red eyes of hatred. Dark Link half-cleared his throat and half coughed, and Samus pulled her arm away from him.

Free from her hold, he rubbed at his neck . "You always seem to spoil my fun," Dark Link said to Ike, glaring. Stepping back, he then looked to Samus with a smirk. "I'm excited to see how this works out for the two of you—"

"Leave," Ike and Samus said simultaneously. And with a last mocking grin, Dark Link stepped back into the shadows.

"Are you okay?" Ike asked her.

"Yeah. Thanks." Samus said, turning to him. His head was inclined to her slightly and his chin showing a note of stubble. He hadn't shaved…

They stood there, waiting for the other to speak. After a few moments of silence, she looked down the hall that led to the gym. It was a wonder that no one had walked down that way.

"Is there something you want to say?"

"Yes." Samus waited. "I wanted to apologize."

"For what?"

"For letting my pride get in the way of us." He looked at the wall, to the ground. "I've been told that I can be pretty frightening when I'm angry. I don't want to drive you away when I'm like that. It's not who I am, when I'm like that."

Samus didn't know what to say. Some part of her was already made up, but this was him apologizing - should she take him back?

"You wouldn't blame me," Samus said hesitantly, "if I said that I don't want you back?"

"I wouldn't," Ike said, looking at her now, "but I'd be willing to change—my habits, my temper—if it meant that I'd win you back."

"You already have," Samus said, and brought his lips to hers. Ike let her kiss him, hard one moment and then melted in her touch the next like so many times before. Her hand slid past his jawbone and through his defenses; he could not stop her, because he enjoyed this too much. He let her hand rake through his hair in a last, tender kiss before she broke away.

"What was that for?" Ike asked, his eyes full of her and only her.

"You aren't the only one who has issues," Samus said, her arms still around his neck. "But I trust you, like you were willing to trust me. I believe you'd be willing to change for me. I believe in you… just as long as you continue to believe in me."

"You trust me," Ike said. "That's less than I deserve. But I can give you this: I will always believe in you."

"Good," Samus said, smiling as she ran the back of her hand across his cheek. "Now will you do me a favor and shave? You're starting to look too rugged, and I don't think I can kiss you if every time I do an image of Snake pops up in my head."

Ike smiled slightly. "Yes, ma'am."


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N- I like knives… when it comes to bad guys :D _

_XXX_

Even through the portal, it was a long trek through the Hylian wilderness before they reached the castle.

Muffled footsteps and labored breathing were the only sounds that filled the air. It was on the brink of winter now, the party could see, and mystical snowflakes swirled around them from the darkening clouded sky above them. Limbs and limbs of dead trees surrounded them, icicles hanging from their wooded branches. No other creature was stirring, either asleep or in for an early hibernation.

"We're close," Link spoke over to them quietly, his breath visible in the cold. "Just beyond this hill, we'll see it."

Link had warned them to keep on the path he made for them until they got out of the forest. Though it was safer as they got nearer to the castle, the woods were still a place to go with caution in.

"You haven't said a word since we got here," Ike murmured next to her. "And that's unusual, seeing as I'm supposed to be the quiet one. Something on your mind?"

Samus turned to him, temporarily shaken out of her thoughts. Like her, he wore a thick, dark blue traveling cloak over some clothes Link told them they would have to don to blend in with their world. 'Like we're going to a costume party,' Falcon had said, but Samus didn't feel very festive. Ike's leather belt lay across his gray long sleeved jerkin, his pants stuffed into traveling boats. Samus thought he looked very much the same when he did when he first arrived at the Mansion in the clothes form his world; but those clothes were old now; shredded and seared from too many Portal matches. Part of her wanted to tell him what was bothering her, to let him hold her and whisper comforting untruths while she ran her hands down his corded biceps, but she didn't feel like now was the time after they had made up only yesterday.

"I'm fine," Samus said, giving him what she hoped was a plausible smile.

Apparently, it wasn't. Ike instead frowned. "You've been saying that a lot lately, almost making me believe that things aren't fine." Samus looked away, and Ike continued on, in the same hushed but firm voice, "You were distracted, preoccupied when I came over to help you pack yesterday. Is there something wrong?"

"There is," Samus said, remembering how the last time she was like this, the same topic had been on her mind. "But I don't think that now is the right time to tell you."

"Is it Dark Link?"

Samus' answer was drowned out by Captain Falcon's sneeze, blaringly loud in the dead silence of the forest. No one in the group said 'bless you'. Startled like everyone else, Link and Zelda up front stopped whispering to each other. Samus looked behind her at the racer, annoyed, and he shrugged and smiled apologetically. She had told him to take some medicine before they had left, but he had refused and insisted that his cold wasn't all that bad. He had seemed to have forgotten that hwere they were going medicine wasn't as strong as the modern stuff, and she knew the seasonal weather was only making him worse. The silence already went deep enough as it was, and if anything, the sneeze would awaken something that was unwanted at this time.

Suddenly Ike froze, making Samus freeze beside him. "Wait," he said. Link, Zelda and Marth turned to him in patient expectation. Slowly the mercenary drew his sword. "Someone else is following us. They're close."

Link stood at the ready, with Zelda placed protectively behind him. Marth drew his weapon, and Samus and Captain Falcon took their stances, fists clenched. She and Ike stood back to back.

"We should have set up camp," mumbled Samus to no one in particular. "That way there could have had a fire to see by—"

"EEEEYAAAA!" shouted Link, throwing his boomerang at the looming trees. "He's here," he said, clearly unsettled by what he saw. Zelda looked to him in worry, and Link just shook his head. "His eyes, I thought I saw them, but then he was gone. But he does that, cropping up out of nowhere and then disappearing into the shadows—"

A cloud of purple interrupted his words, blasting the couple off their feet. In the next moment, before they had even touched the ground, they were gone.

"Whoop!" went Captain Falcon, and he landed on the ground with a thud. "Sorry," he said, "I must've been swept off my feet by something. Looked like a—"

"We're being ambushed," Marth called, pointing out the obvious. "Show yourselves!" He yelled. "Look for their faces—" Suddenly he, in a wisp of purple smoke, disappeared this time.

"Marth!" Ike called, searching for a sign that he was there, waving away the fumes, but he was already gone.

"Okay guys," Captain Falcon said nervously. "What in the world is going on here—"

Then this time, Falcon disappeared in the most unusual way; in a pink and yellow cloud with sparkles.

Ike and Samus looked at each other. They were in some serious trouble, even with the sparkles. But if anything, Samus knew, they were fine, because they were still together, and that was the reason they had made it this long.

Or maybe the enemy was just binding their time? Samus and Ike scoured the black outlines of the trees of the forest. Where could their friends have gone? Who was after them?

A noise from the naked limbs above her gave away the opponent's position. Samus shot up her electric whip and brought him thudding down to the ground at her feet.

"Well, you got me," Dark Link said, a shameless smirk on his face. "But where does that put you?"

Samus whirled around. Distracted, Ike had been captured as well, quickly and silently, leaving her alone with the most hated piece of shit in the whole Mansion.

"Zelda is going to have fun with him," Dark Link commented, rising to his feet.

"Where have they taken them? Who ambushed us?" Samus yelled, holding her gun to his neck.

"Whoa there," he said, raising a bemused eyebrow. "I've never seen _that _before. What exactly does that thing do?" Samus just glared at him. "Okay, okay; so my family and I just wanted to have some fun with some good friends—" he smirked at Samus, "—some new, some old. And who says that we can't say hi? This is our home as much as Link and Zelda's; I think we deserve to, ah, take a visit like you can."

"You didn't get any permission from the Council," Samus said, furrowing her eyebrows. "And what do you mean, 'your family'? Are there others here besides you and your sister?"

"Oh, just Ganondorf. Damn, I just told you my little secret, didn't I?" His face was one of mock disappointment. "But really, can we just talk? That's the only reason why I'm here with you."

Samus grit her teeth. She wasn't getting anything out of this guy, she knew all too well. "About what," she forced out.

"Have you been thinking about my last offer I made you?" Dark Link looked at her intently, as if he knew that what had been on her mind since the last time they saw each other. "I know it was a quite a few weeks ago, but I didn't think you would forget. Because you get it, don't you? The fact that no one is going to make it out of that Mansion. It's a virtually a prison, and everyone in there is scared out of their minds. They feel everyday as if the walls are closing in on them. And you feel it too, don't you?" Again her hesitation made her pause, and her grip on her gun went slightly loose. "This game that you're trying to play—is one that you're bound to loose. Once you accept the fact that that prison is turning you and everyone else into a caged animal—and embrace it—you will be victorious, and rise above the others when that Portal finally is fixed. And then you will truly be free…" Dark Link's eyes trailed down the skin on her neck below her chin, at ease even though her gun was still pointed at his neck. She knew she should care but her eyes and her mind were focused on a very different need… "All you have to do is help us, and then we can fix the Portal."

Her eyes darted to his. "You can fix the Portal?"

"Oh, no; not me," Dark Link said. "Someone much bigger than I. Someone bound to be great. Someone able to topple even the high and mighty Ganondorf—but he wasn't even that strong anyway, even with the Triforce of Power. But he can give you anything you want—because he withholds the most powerful Force of all. Money, power, even a home; if you let your boyfriend in on this, he could have a part too—but if your still having relationship issues—"

"The answer is no," Samus stated, looking him straight in the eye. She would not, could not, back down now after all the progress she had made.

"Really? You've given the matter enough thought?"

"Yes."

He sighed. "Then that's a shame," Dark Link said, right before he plunged a knife right in her side.

Samus choked, her gun hand dropping to her side.

"The game isn't as fun anymore when there's a definite answer," Dark Link said, pulling his dagger out of her ribcage. Samus jerked, speechless. "It was fun, though." He paced around her, trailing his curved dagger across her chin as she stood stock still. "While it lasted," he murmured into her ear. "Can't be getting too cocky, though, or else things get messy."

Samus sucked in a breath, then let it out just as quickly. Simply breathing was getting hard; her lungs weren't working right. She had let herself go for the moment and she had paid for it; now it was time to get even.

"It would've been fun, though; you and I." His dagger lingered on the space between her ear and her collarbone. "All the Time in the world, and in the service of the one who can grant it. Pity. I would have loved to drag this out longer. Too bad you didn't check me for any hidden weapons—"

"Check this, asshole," Samus grunted, and pointed her gun at his foot and pulled the trigger. Dark Link froze, electrocuted, and crumpled to the ground at her feet.

Samus clutched at her side, bent down and took the dagger from his hands. Then she limped off in the direction she hoped the others had been taken too.

XXX


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N- LOL I LOVE the way this chapter came out! I told you I'd give Pit a chance!_

_Not the long-awaited chapter (I know, I left off at an awful cliffhanger), and I've been distracted with my Valentine fluff story, and I'm just trying to find the perfect moment to introduce my OC's. Excuses, I know! But I hope you enjoy ;)_

_XXX_

Three days since The Fight.

Three days, and no sign of Pit.

"Maybe he died," Nana comments innocently enough.

"For losing a fight?" Sonic said. "I doubt it."

"Maybe he killed himself," said Popo.

"Now _that _seems more likely," Sonic said.

"He doesn't really seem the type to go and do that to himself," Pokémon Trainer said. No one knew what his actual name was. The whole table turned to look at him. "I mean, this is Pit we're talking about," he continued nervously. "He was the type of guy who was always so excited and eager all the time. He wouldn't just end his life like that." The table continued to stare at him blankly. "What?"

"Did you hear who he was fighting?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah… Ike."

"And do you know why?"

"No. Why?"

"Ike was getting revenge on him for defeating him in the last fight they had," Meta Knight rumbled. Everyone at the table looked to him. "I was there."

"And Ike kicked his butt. So what?" Pokémon Trainer reasoned.

"Because Ike kicked his butt while he was _raging," _ Sonic told him, like it was obvious.

"Wait, Pit was raging?"

"No, dummy; Ike was. Who else in the Mansion do you know that rages?"

"I didn't even know that Ike raged," Pokémon Trainer said, looking down.

"Well, he does." Sonic crossed his arms. "And when Ike rages, everyone knows about it. That is, _almost _everyone."

Peach listened on in silence. She loved the gossip Ike's raging had provided, but she felt sorry for Pit.

"Has Pit really been locked in his room for three days?" Peach asked Sonic.

"Yup," Sonic said. "The only time he's been seen going out of his room is at night."

So Peach thought she should do something about it.

XXX

It was half past twelve in the afternoon. Most of the Brawlers were eating lunch or, well, brawling. Some Brawlers did most of their fighting at this time of the day because of the availability of food; from eleven-thirty to three, Luigi was cooking up something delicious.

In the kitchen, Peach whipped up some of her famous pie. Setting the dessert on a tray, she headed towards Pit's room on the third floor. The hallway was relatively quiet when Peach looked for Pit's room number. Pit was one of the few residents who had a room to himself, and it was also located at the end of the hall, out of the way and a little lonely. So Peach was more than a little surprised before knocking on his door to hear voices on the other side.

"Get _off _me, you!"

Peach leaned in closer. Yeah, that was definitely Pit's voice. But who was he talking to?

The loud thump against a wooden headboard came before the voice that followed; "Oh, Pit. Getting a little violent, now are we?"

Peach stepped back, her eyes wide. So. Pit had some _male _company.

There was some more noise coming from the bed, and then the loud thud of someone being pushed to the floor. "Ow!" shouted Pit. "Why you—"After that came the thud of another body hitting the ground.

There was some more tumbling. "Ha, ha! Who's stronger now?" exclaimed the other voice.

"Certainly not you." The contrast between the voices was evident; the other person in the room had a voice that was more serious, slightly bored tone of voice; any sight of inflection in it was only a show of dry humor.

Before her imagination got away from her, Peach regained her composure and knocked purposefully on the door. "Pit, sweetie? Is, um, everything okay in there?"

The bodies in the room stopped moving. Peach stepped a little closer to the door to hear what they might be saying. She heard loud whispers:

"Well? Are you going to answer it?"

"I—"

"This was going to happen eventually. You've been in here for three days."

"I know, I know, just—be quiet for once and let me think." Pit then cleared his throat. "Peach?" He said a little louder. "Is that you?"

"Yes." Peach hesitated. "It seemed like you were in some kind of… struggle…"

"It's nothing."

"Is there someone in there?"

"No."

There was an awkward silence.

"Okay…" Peach tried to bring out her most positive tone. "You've been in there for three days straight, and we—I- was getting worried. So, I made you some pie!"

A pause. "What flavor?" Pit asked skeptically.

She frowned. "Peach…"

"Oh, okay." She heard footsteps. The door opened slightly.

Peach blinked. In front of her was Pit, smiling and looking as amiable as ever. His white t-shirt looked slightly rumpled (Peach decided not to dwell on that), but besides that, he looked as if the fight had never happened.

Peach returned his bright smile and held out her pie.

He took it. "Thanks, Peach. Looks delicious. I haven't eaten since—"

"What looks delicious?" called the same voice from the room.

"Who was that?" Peach asked curiously.

"Um, no one—"

"Who that, Pit Stain?" the voice called, louder this time. It was definitely, Peach thought, not a voice she could pinpoint from the Mansion. "Sounds like she likes you. She your _girlfriend?"_

"Hardly," Pit said, blushing.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Peach asked, hands on her hips.

"Err, nothing—" Pit turned around. "Oh no. Stay right there—"

"Pit, who—"

"Thanks again, Peach," Pit said, turning to her with an apologetic smile. "See you." And with that and the pie, he shut the door.

Peach frowned. What was happening?


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N- In response to the major cliffhanger I placed in chapter 8, here comes the next chapter. Enjoy…_

_XXX_

"Your girlfriend doesn't have to know about a thing, Ike. I'm sure my brother has her taken care of by now. All you have to do is stop… glaring at me, and I'll ungag you."

"Zelda! Stop fraternizing with the captives!" Ganondorf called from a few feet away.

Dark Zelda pouted. "But he's so cute. After all this time, and he chose Samus over me. And here I thought he would be into someone that was noble. But no, he had to go off with space scum—"

Samus grit her teeth, trying not to jump out from the tree she was hiding behind and choke Dark Zelda until she dropped. Samus normally wasn't the jealous type, but seeing Ike tied up and Dark Zelda leaving small kisses on his clean shaven chin almost made her red with it.

She struggled to retain consciousness. Blackness crawling at the edge of her vision from the stab wound she had graciously received from Dark Link, she tried to think of a good plan. But the situation looked grim. Ike and the four others were tied up to a gnarled tree at the edge of a small snow laden clearing. Their bonds looked tight, and Dark Zelda definitely showed no signs of leaving.

"Where is he?" Ganondorf murmured to himself, looking off into the distance. "He should be back by now…"

"Oh, don't worry, Daddy." Dark Zelda scoffed. "Who knows what Dark Link is doing to the bitch by now," Dark Zelda said, smirking at Ike. The mercenary glared at her, giving her a look that said _Don't even think about it._

"Don't call me daddy," Ganondorf grumbled. "I have too many girls calling me that as it is in the Valley."

"Will we be able to see the Gerudo Valley this year, daddy?" Samus suspected, from the twin's spoiled, whiny tone, that Ganondorf wasn't a very good father.

"Hmm? Oh yeah. Sure." The dark lord looked distracted. "I'm going to go look for him. While I'm gone, tighten the bonds." He turned to his daughter. "And don't… do anything to him, okay? We don't want them to be reluctant to the offer."

"Whatever you say, Daddy," Dark Zelda said, not looking back at him. Ganondorf turned walked purposefully into the forest.

She figured she'd have to go for the more direct approach. Fortunately, Ganon leaving made it easier, but it still didn't benefit her all that well. Holding her side she had bandaged shortly after her confrontation with Dark Link, Samus crept from behind the tree she was hiding behind and got out her paralyzer gun. Dark Zelda's attention was diverted because it was latched onto Ike's scowling face.

"You don't have to be a part of this, you know," she cooed, her body close to his as she tousled her fingers in his hair. "You can go off with me and my father and brother, and you can see all the sights of Hyrule with your so-called enemies at your very side, so you have nothing to fear. Once we take over the castle, you can live here like a prince—"

"Since Ike is a little choked up at the moment, I suppose I'll have to speak for him," grit Samus. Link, Zelda, and Captain Falcon's eyes lit up in surprise, while Marth's just gave her the typical _It's about time_. Ike's eyes flickered to her, calm and interested. "None of us plan on joining you today, and we certainly are not going to let you take over the Hylian castle anytime soon."

Dark Zelda whirled to her, one hand poised at her side, ready to attack. "Look who it is. Samus Aran herself," she spat.

"Why are you here? Zelda didn't invite you."

"We chose to come ourselves. This is our home, as well."

"And you couldn't come without attacking us?"

"Well, we _are_ evil," Dark Zelda said, rolling her eyes like it was obvious. "When Dark Link came up with the idea, we just couldn't pass up the idea of taking control of Hyrule once again."

"Was it really Dark Link who came up with the idea?" Samus asked, hoping she would reply. She assumed from previous conversations with Link, that his twin was not known for his brilliance. It was more likely that the three were on orders from someone else; perhaps, from The One Who Rises, the mysterious villain that Dark Link had mentioned to her so many times before.

But Dark Zelda simply ignored her with a toss of her hair. "Like I'd tell you. You're the trash that stole Ike away from me!"

Samus fired her gun. She'd had enough.

Dark Zelda dodged. The blast hit Captain Falcon instead, shocking him and then, with a drop of his head, knocking him unconscious as well. Dark Zelda summoned a blast of fire at the space warrior, and Samus dropped and rolled on the ground to land close to the gnarled tree that held her friends.

Samus lashed out with her whip. Dark Zelda procreated a diamond shield with her magic, and the electric whip did nothing against her. Samus jumped ridiculously high into the air, landing right in front of the fake princess. Surprised and definitely not ready to fight close contact, Samus merrily stuck her gun at her stomach and fired.

Dark Zelda collapsed on the ground.

Samus ran over to her friends, Ike was looking at her with a satisfied look on his face. "Didn't think I'd ever do anything grand enough to impress you," Samus told him, wrestling with the bonds. "Damn! After all this, and I can't even untie you guys!"

"Ummmrrrphrrrph," said Link, and Samus went over to take the gag out of his mouth. With his she took out Zelda's too, for fear the queen, in her own kingdom now, would punish her in some medieval way she didn't wish to know. "I have a dagger in my belt," Link said, looking down. "Use that."

Samus took it and tried sawing at the ropes. "No luck," she said.

"I think she put a Binding Spell on the bonds," Zelda said. "I'm not sure, because we were unconscious when Ganondorf bound us to the tree. Hold on." And the queen started chanting strange words, harsh and firm, like she was scolding someone that had crossed her. Her eyes turned gold without pupils, and Samus knew the spell must have worked. Immediately afterwards, the bonds fell away, and Link, Zelda, Marth and Ike landed on the ground with their feet. Captain Falcon fell on his face.

Samus stumbled to the nearest tree, clutching her side. "Cool, you guys are alright." The pain was getting to her now, causing her to listen to the alarming signals her body had been sending to her brain. She sagged to the ground and looked at her hand. It was red with blood. "Now all we have to do is kill Captain Falcon, and then we can be off our way to the castle without any trouble."

Ike's eyes widen with surprise and knelt by her side, taking in her wound. "What happened?"

"Dark Link, the bastard," Samus said, but her words sounded slurred even to her own ears. She clenched shut her eyes. "He came at me with a knife, but I took care of him."

"She needs help, quick," Zelda said.

"Wow, Zelda," Samus smirking, despite her pain. Ike picked her up in his arms, and she inclined her head to the warmth of his chest. "I never thought you'd actually be concerned for my well-being."

"You just saved my life," Zelda said impatiently. She walked over to where Ike was, rubbing her hands together slowly. "Of course I'd be concerned. Now, I can probably stop the bleeding, but we'd still need to get to the castle as soon as possible to take care of it better."

"We should go now then," Ike said, his voice terse with hidden worry. "She's losing blood fast."

Indeed she was. Not only was the gauze completely soaked with blood, it was now getting onto Ike's jerkin.

"We will, Ike," Zelda said calmly, placing her hands gently on Samus' wound. "Just let me stop the bleeding." Her side glowed with golden magic, and soon Samus couldn't feel pain anymore, just warmth. Behind her, Link and Marth lifted Captain Falcon onto their shoulders.

"We need to go, quickly," Marth said. "Dark Zelda could wake up, and Ganondorf could be back any minute."

"We should call the Mansion," Link said. All around, he received glances from the other characters in confusion. "Using the cell phones that Mario gave us before we left? Come on, I'm not crazy."

"Oh, yeah. Good idea," Marth said. He shrugged away from Captain Falcon's arm, and Link sagged underneath the racer's weight with an uncomfortable look on his face. He took the phone out his pocket, flipping it and holding it to his ear like he'd been using it his whole life. "Hey Mario, it's Marth….Yeah, there's been some trouble. Ganondorf and the Dark Twins somehow made their way to Hyrule. Could you open a portal and get them out of here?...Yeah…. Yeah, okay, but we had a situation, and we need to go as soon as possible…. Ten minutes? I suppose… They aren't tied up, you see. It was some struggle, and Ganondorf and Dark Link aren't even on location with where we're at…. Yeah, some of us will stay here, and you can wait for us to send them through…. Yeah, some sort of backup will be good…Alright, 'bye then." He hung up and turned to them. "It's going to take Mario and Fox about ten minutes to rouse up the Portal, but me and Link can wait for them with Captain Falcon until they arrive."

"Okay," Zelda said, beads of sweat showing on her forehead with the effort of her spell.

"You done?" Ike asked her.

Zelda stepped away from Samus, her hands now moist with blood. Samus' breathing had fallen into a still shallow but slower pace. Her body settled into Ike's arms peacefully. "Yes."

"Then let's go," Ike said, and with that, Samus allowed herself to slip into blackness.

XXX


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N- When in doubt, write romance :) I've been so busy lately, and dismissive of this story that I knew I needed to continue it. So, after beating Kid Icarus: Uprising and giving some serious thought to where my plot was going, here is my next chapter. _

_A thanks to BipolarIke for pushing me to update on this story. It's been too long since my last update, I know, and I am sorry._

XXX

Out of the bleary edges of her consciousness, she made something out of her surroundings. It was warm, surprisingly; despite the season. A fire was burning in the fireplace in the corner. Her body lay under a patterned quilt; her shirt was off and there were bandages wound around her midsection. A single candle was lit by her bedside, and someone sat in a stool next to the simple nightstand.

Where was she? It was obviously not the castle. She had supposed there would be more light, more space, and a grander taste than the simple wood-and-cloth she saw. Not that she was complaining. She was seeing now.

Which brought her back to the person in the chair. "Where am I?" She asked. Her voice was croaked to her own ears.

The person looked up from the object she seemed to be playing with in her lap. Her auburn hair fell in front of a soft featured face; she was about her age.

The woman studied Samus as she studied her, deciding on how she should reply. Coming to a conclusion, she said, "I have no idea, actually. Nobody here cared to tell me."

Samus' eyes narrowed, suddenly on guard. The woman seemed to be telling the truth, but how could she not know where she was? "Are you the one who patched me up?" Vaguely she recalled several people holding her down as she screamed and spat at the excruciating pain that was being inflicted to her side. Getting stitches without painkillers had been almost as bad as receiving the wound—almost. The rage and surprise of getting stabbed by Dark Link still bubbled in the pit of her being. Miraculously, though, the pain had gone away, but her fierce anger had not.

"Yes, I did." Again, hazel-brown eyes continued to watch her. They, as well as the insufferable, bored tone to her voice seemed almost familiar to her, though it was hard to pinpoint who she was in the dim candlelight.

"Do I know you?"

A smiled creeped on the other's face. "I would think that the one person I came here for would recognize me, at least, in this place full of strangers. But I guess I was wrong." She cocked her head to the side, as if inspecting a strange and new specimen. " But seriously, you can't remember me? It's only been—what? Two years?"

Samus' s eyes widened. "Mara." She propped an arm up to get in a position to sit up. "How—"

"Whoa, there; take it easy." In one swift movement, Mara set down and stood to lay the object from her lap and stood to lay Samus back down. "Your stitches are still new. You shouldn't be moving around much until they heal."

"But—" she winced from the pain—"how are you here? And how do you not know where you are? And how long have I been out? And _where are the others?"_

"You've been out a full day," Mara replied placidly. "You lost a lot of blood. And the others are outside, keeping watch or something. All I know is that we're in a cottage and it's the beginning of winter. Beyond that, I have no idea where I'm at."

Samus looked at her skeptically. "How?"

Mara raised an eyebrow. "I haven't seen you in months and I'm suddenly an interrogation subject?"

Before Samus could answer, though, the door to the left burst open. In came Ike, usual dark eyes bright and pale face flushed. The collar to his jerkin was turned up and some pellets of snow was caught in between some of the tuffs of his hair. "I heard you from outside," he said, crossing the room to her. "You're awake."

"Yeah," Samus said, amazed at his blatant joy at seeing her. Samus propped herself up in the bed, and this time Mara didn't stop her. "Why were you outside?"

"Keeping watch for Zelda, Marth, and Link. They went ahead to the castle. Apparently there was a mix-up… Falcon and I stayed here with you, until you got better." Ike bent down, taking her face with his hand. She couldn't say that the gesture was gentle, but the worry in his eyes said it all before he even said it. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." She had never seen this emotion so clearly scrawled on his face before; it was something so threatening close to love.. Samus was suddenly filled with the burning desire to kiss him, right then, his face so close to hers.

"Apparently you lost a lot of blood," he said.

"But, thanks to _me_ she is recovering," Mara pointed out, no doubt rolling her eyes. "She pierced a lung, too, which _I _mended."

"You could've died," Ike murmured, bringing a hand further up her face. They were rough and calloused as they lingered along her temple. "I thought you would die, and—I don't think I—"

Samus brought her lips to meet his, bringing a hand to the back of his to bring him closer to her. "I'm here now," she told him.

Ike leaned into her, pushing back the covers to prop himself above her. Mara had stepped out of the room after her last comment was gone ignored; Samus would've kissed him whether she was there either way. All she could sense was him and his lips; cold on the outside and hot within. She remembered something she had thought about his kisses once before; scalding, hot at first, and then, when he cooled down, sweet like hot chocolate.

It was a childish, and silly comparison, she knew. But she could not find any other way to put it. They had been together eight months now, so then why could she feel silly about it.

She felt silly when she cradled her legs around his hips, pulling down his pants. His clothes were too cold, and his face hadn't warmed yet; it bothered her that she was the only one feverish in this situation. Despite her doubts he let her, jerking the covers on top of them as he worked soft lips down the side of her neck. She pulled of his jerkin, his side belt and his long sleeved shirt, and Ike unbuttoned her black pants and took those off, as well, kissing her deeply all the while. She breathed him in, and everything about him as he lay her body so close to hers. Underneath the covers now he was almost as hot as she was; except for his fingers, which trailed down her back and her side ice-cold. Once his undershirt was worked off as a combined effort of them both, he sighed, and such a relief of tension it sounded. Ike pressed his forehead against hers, their eyes still closed as they breathed, chests rising to meet the other's. Samus grinned at him like a cat before she arched up to kiss him again; but he held back. She tried again, but he kept teasing her with every effort; a game of the most intimate kind. He slowed down, each kiss fleeting yet deep each time they touched. She savored each kiss as if it were their last, and she let his warm body consume her. She could hear his heart beating rapidly, and the heat of his breath against her already warm skin; she suddenly didn't want to mess around anymore. Roughly she pushed his shoulder to the other side of the bed and twisted herself above him—and cursed.

Ike looked at her in surprise. "What—"

"My side," Samus said. Ike pulled his hand away and lay her on her back again, sitting her up against the wall carefully. The two inspected the bandages that wound around her waist; a pink stain coloring the place where the stitches were. They hadn't hurt until now; she had been too focused on Ike.

Samus looked up at him. "We should probably take it a bit easier."

Ike frowned. "How about if we stop, then? You don't want those stitches to open, anyway."

Samus rolled her eyes. "Fine." Ike chuckled softly, going on his side. She turned with him, content to face him on the side that was not injured as he held her close. In the dim light behind him, his eyes were dark, but she could see something in his usually guarded eyes. She wondered—

Suddenly the door flew open, and Ike turned around to see who it was. Zelda stood as Ike had been; pale faced and flushed, save for the light of disbelief that shown in her eyes. Captain Falcon stood behind her, and behind him, Link.

"There's been a civil war going on in Hyrule since I've been gone," Zelda stated, her eyes wide and livid. "The present ruler of Gerudo is offering a truce, a treaty signing, even. And _you, _Samus and Ike, have been _here,_in _bed?_"

XXX


End file.
